Sad Bucs Business Fail
September 21st, 2019
Jilted
Joe has a heavy heart today for the Buccaneers faithful living in Naples, Fort Myers and their surrounding communities.
Joe also has a finger-wag for the marketing folks at One Buc Palace.
Tomorrow, the chieftains at the FOX affiliate (FOX 4) in southwest Florida will air the Dolphins-Cowboys game instead of the Bucs-Giants game.
They explained on their station website.
LEE COUNTY, Fla. – Fox 4 has a programming note for NFL fans in Southwest Florida.
We would like to air both the Buccaneers and the Dolphins games, both of which are covered by Fox Sports this weekend. But because of NFL restrictions, Fox 4 can only air one of the two.
We have chosen to air the Dolphins game, which begins at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The 0-2 Dolphins are heading to Dallas to take on the 2-0 Cowboys. The Dolphins are hoping to turn their dismal season around, and have made a switch at quarterback, giving Josh Rosen his first start as a Dolphin, in place of Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Sad!
This kind of thing doesn’t happen if the Buccaneers have a strong-enough relationship with the television station, and that relationship management falls squarely on someone(s) at One Buc Palace. Team officials can blame other factors if they wish, but there is no escaping reality.
Tens of thousands of Bucs fans in southwest Florida won’t be watching — for no good reason. Just this month, FOX4 touted itself as “the home of the Buccaneers.” Sure, there are some streaming options, but that’s just not the same for a huge percentage of fans.
The Dolphins are playing ugly football — intentionally — and Joe suspects there are just as many Giants fans in southwest Florida as there are Cowboys fans. This just shouldn’t have happened. Joe hopes those in the affected areas have safe travels to their neighborhood sports bars to watch the game.
September 21st, 2019 at 12:05 pm
Reddit.com
September 21st, 2019 at 12:08 pm
Maybe they figure more viewers would want to watch America’s Team instead of
“America’s Quarterback”?
September 21st, 2019 at 12:09 pm
Fox 4 … “The Dolphins are hoping to turn their dismal season around, and have made a switch at quarterback, giving Josh Rosen his first start as a Dolphin, in place of Ryan Fitzpatrick.”
Lucky Josh Rosen. He want from the frying pan into the fire.
September 21st, 2019 at 12:09 pm
Isn’t the game being streamed off the Buc app?
September 21st, 2019 at 12:19 pm
The marketing dept of the Bucs and Rays are pretty bad.
September 21st, 2019 at 12:21 pm
Very disappointed with Fox 4’s failure to explain why the Bucs game will not be shown to the viewers in SW Florida. It would be different if this was a Network choice to air the Dullphins, but this was a local decision that really sucks. Thanks Joe for posting this!
September 21st, 2019 at 12:30 pm
After those last two sloppy, unwatchable games with the Bucs on the field, who can blame them!!!!!!!!! That is a win for those that will not be subjected to the current garbage being display in a buc’ s jerseys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The question is how do we in the Tampa area watch the other game then the ole stale biscuit slopfest????????????????
2019 will reveal answers to the sheep, that the “real” fans already know !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 21st, 2019 at 12:33 pm
Fox 35 in Orlando just got permission to show other games as well. I don’t blame the stations for catering to yankee cartbaggers, especually when you consider how bad the state’s pro franchises are run, but shame on the Glazers for snubbing a top 20 market less than an hour down the road year after year. LOVE BUCS HATE GLAZER
September 21st, 2019 at 12:35 pm
Also feel sorry for any Buc fans living in those areas. But I am relieved to hear they play at the same time. Now we get to see real football at 1:00.
Last week they aired that freaking Dolphin game for the entirety. No excuse to air some actual competiotion sometime, anytime after halftime. Totally unnessary to show the Dolphins losing on purpose for 3 1/2 hrs. Meanwhile I watched Fox and they cut to 4 separate competive games and it was wildly entertaining.
The week before CBS did the same crap as the Dolphins lost an even bigger blowout to the Ravens. The way CBS decides to use their air time for the NFL is an absolute insult to fans.
September 21st, 2019 at 12:38 pm
Put a playoff caliber team on the field a couple seasons in a row and this wouldn’t happen.
September 21st, 2019 at 12:39 pm
“because of NFL restrictions”
That’s the key phrase.
Ft Myers/Naples is a good bit closer to Miami than it is to Tampa Bay first of all…
The only reason they aren’t showing the Bucs game is because of stupid NFL “restrictions” – WHY? I ask….
What possible benefit is there to the league or either team in a case like this – with games at different times no less – to force a network affiliate to “choose” between showing one “local” team’s game vs another??
September 21st, 2019 at 12:51 pm
This has always been the case in fort Meyers viewing area Dolphins Trump Bucs
September 21st, 2019 at 1:00 pm
Bucs games also not on in Orlando on opening weekend. Fox chose to show NYG instead. Absolutely ridiculous that we can’t watch the “home” team an hour away.
September 21st, 2019 at 1:12 pm
I have my tickets… just like I have had for the last 20 plus years. I don’t feel bad for them at all! Want to watch the Bucs??? BUY A TICKET AND GO TO THE GAME LIKE THE REST OF US LOYAL FANS!!!
September 21st, 2019 at 1:12 pm
Cowboys have a National following and many Miami based retirees live in SW Florida. From a ratings perspective, it makes sense.
From a football perspective, I’d rather watch Ravens vs Chiefs followed by Bucs vs Giants.
September 21st, 2019 at 1:14 pm
@ Pickgrin
There are no NFL restrictions on the game they carry……BS……they are at the same time, so it is impossible to run both…….nothing to do with restrictions.
I might add that Miami is a AFC team therefore their home games are broadcast by the CBS affiliate….the FOX affiliate would normally carry the Bucs……I guess the management took their only opportunity to run the Dolphins instead….
I think the management of the station made a mistake to abandon their normally televised team (Bucs)….
September 21st, 2019 at 1:30 pm
As a former S.W. Florida resident this has always happened, Dolphins always was on tv down there. Never was Bucs on TV.
September 21st, 2019 at 1:42 pm
@ Rusty
The Fox station is not permitted to broadcast the Miami home games…..it is a CBS property…..yes, the Dolphins are always aired there…..but not instead of the Bucs…..in addition to.
September 21st, 2019 at 1:49 pm
The last decade has killed the fanbase and interest
In a transient area where everyone is from somewhere else the team can’t be a dumpster fire and expect to keep the interest of fans
September 21st, 2019 at 2:24 pm
TBBF,
Dolphins-Cowgirls game is at 1 pm. Bucs-Giants game is at 4:05 pm.
Not at the same time.
NFL rules dictate that the affiliate cannot show both “local” games – even if they are at different times -which they are. So the TV station in that area was forced to make a choice between those 2 games – because of “NFL restrictions” – as stated in the quote from Fox 4.
Stupid NFL “rules” are to blame for this “situation”.
September 21st, 2019 at 2:49 pm
Whenever the dolphins play a nfc team on the road, fox will air that game over the bucs in that area because miami is closer.
September 21st, 2019 at 2:54 pm
Realist….shut the heck man…
September 21st, 2019 at 2:57 pm
Pickgrin
I stand corrected…….so what is going on is Fox doesn’t have a double-header Sunday so they are not permitted to show two games….only one. That is a rule in all markets….not just there;;;
September 21st, 2019 at 3:16 pm
Tamp to Ft Myers is under 2 hours.
Miami to Ft Myers is over just under 2 1/2 hours.
Tampa is closer so we can scratch that reason off the list.
September 21st, 2019 at 3:18 pm
Why did the NFL allow us in the TB area to watch the Dolphins-Ravens Week 1 game early and then the Buc-9er’s late?
September 21st, 2019 at 3:37 pm
Thank gawd, I like and listen to Bucs Radio. Naples and points south was always considered Miami territory. Not sure about Ft. Myers as it’s further north. Orlando has always been a P.I.T.A. when it comes to showing Bucs home games. They advertise it then it’s changed—constantly. Can’t tell you how much moolah Ale House got from me and fellow Bucs pals so we could watch the home games.
September 21st, 2019 at 5:00 pm
as long as they don’t get to carry the Bucs when they start winning.
September 21st, 2019 at 5:01 pm
So a group of people somewhere have concluded that a ‘tanking’ Dolphins team will be more entertaining and draw a bigger viewing audience than the Bucs.. I get that…
The intrigue of how Josh Rosen’s 1st game will go or J stumbling, bumbling, fumbling for his 50+ game…
September 21st, 2019 at 5:03 pm
Try being a Bucs fan in the Ocala area. NFL blacks out radio coverage on the iHeart app, and Fox 35, which simulcasts on Fox 51 in Ocala sometimes opts to air other games. I had to subscribe to tune in radio’s app to hear the games! Not to mention the Times charging to access their website. It’s just wrong to limit coverage within a teams territory!
September 21st, 2019 at 5:23 pm
Ghost of Darrell Henderson Says:
September 21st, 2019 at 3:18 pm
Why did the NFL allow us in the TB area to watch the Dolphins-Ravens Week 1 game early and then the Buc-9er’s late?
Because the Dolphins-Ravens game (AFC) was likely aired on the CBS affiliate in Tampa and the Bucs game on Fox….
The contract with the NFL with FOX guarantees the Fox affiliate all Buc home games..(Except London) NBC….You will get the Bucs away games if the Bucs are playing an NFC opponent…..if they are playing an AFC opponent away, that game will be on CBS.
September 21st, 2019 at 7:01 pm
The Football Gods will punish Fox 4 with an unwatchable Cowboys blowout with Dak and Zeke having NFL record days. So much for “Home of the Bucs”. Karma is a biatch!!!
September 21st, 2019 at 8:32 pm
Home of the bucs is just the tampa area. When you are in atlanta, its home of the falcons. In miami, cbs is home of the dolphins. You notice we never see those commercials here? Just like you wont see the commercial home of the bucs on fox stations down south. Its really not that hard to understand.
September 21st, 2019 at 8:53 pm
Tampabaybucfan Says:
“… Miami is a AFC team therefore their home games are broadcast by the CBS affiliate….”
.
.
In the case of inter-conference games, television rights are dictated by the visiting team’s affiliation.
September 21st, 2019 at 9:11 pm
It seems that southwest Fl is more in the Dolphins market anyway?
September 21st, 2019 at 9:46 pm
More epic glazer-fail
September 21st, 2019 at 9:59 pm
NFL rules are ridiculous.
September 22nd, 2019 at 4:28 am
Oh wow realist ur going all in no matter what well good for u I GUESS LMMFAO AND SMMFH 🤦♂️🤷♂️
September 22nd, 2019 at 7:12 am
Naples is understandable but Charlotte and Lee counties couldn’t be less Miami. I see Bucs/Rays/Lightning gear constantly here in Punta Gorda – rarely if ever Miami.
September 22nd, 2019 at 7:31 am
Lmao at Joe for thinking friendships and/or relationships dictate broadcasting decisions. Ratings and money dictate that $h!t and anyone thinking otherwise is ridiculous.
September 22nd, 2019 at 11:23 am
realist should just stfu – Joe you really should have a troll filter installed or a direct response feature – plz
Pickgrin – there is a thing called google maps you should try it. your “a good bit closer” comment is pretty dumb
Yes that is another stupid rule by the NFL – not allowing 2 teams to be played
AND yes this is another in a long stream of outright blunders by this organization – it really is pathetic
September 22nd, 2019 at 11:42 am
Again- the Glazers are awful owners and don’t give a chit.
Why is anyone surprised by this?